Shoe-fastener



K. MIYAKAWA.

SHOE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10. 1919.

1,378,602. Patented May 17, 1921.

1 lllW/AW/AW/AIOII/l I INVENTOR [fin tam Miya/mmz 0;" W

Afro RN EYB UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KINTARO MIYAKAWA, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SHOE-FASTENER.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I KINTARo MIYAKAWA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoes and particularly pertains to a fastener therefor. It

is the principal object of the present invention to provide a fastener for lace shoes which will have the appearance of a shoe lace as it is carried from one eyelet of the shoe to the other and which may be easily mounted in a fastening position upon the 1shoe to serve the purpose of the usual fabric ace.

' The present invention contemplates the he invention is illustrated b way of ex- I ample in the accompanying rawings, in Which- I Figure 1 is a view in perspective, lllustrating a shoe fitted with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation, showing the appearance of the normally exposed part of the fastener.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation, showing the appearance of the under-side of the fastener. ig. 4: is an enlarged view in longitudinal section through the fastener on the lines 4-4 of Fig. 2, illustrating it as applied to a shoe upper.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the central portion of the fastener, showing the intermediate connection of the spring.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in section through one of the fastening buttons, as seen on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 7-7 of Fig. 8. p

ig. 8 is a horizontal section on line 8--8 of Fig. showing a modified form of the eyelet.

In the drawings, 10 and 11 indicate the two flaps of a shoe upper. These flaps are yieldably supported pins fitted along their adjacent marginal edges wlth a plurality of eyelets 12. The eyelets are provided as sockets for male fastening members 13, which may be of the glove fastener type and which are yieldably secured w thin the eyelets, either by the use of a yieldable member incorporated within the eyelet or weakened portlons in the fastener 13, whereby it may be slipped into place and held in frictional engagement with the eyelet. Fastening members 13 are mounted upon enlarged head portions 14 which are intended to seat within a channel-shaped assagewa 15 of a combined guide and ody mem er 16. These body members are preferably formed of thin metal which have been japanned or otherwise colored to agree with the color of the shoe. The length of these members is slightly greater than the over-all distance between the complementary eyelets upon the two shoe flaps, clearly shown in Fig. 4. Thus it will be seen that the body member 16 will conform to the instep of the shoe when the male fastening members 13 are seated within the eyelets 12. In order that the male fasteners maybe yieldably supported in position, they are secured to the opposite ends of a spring 17.

g This spring is fixed to the body portion 16 by a central pin 18.

'In operation of the present invention a plurality of fasteners are provided, agreeing "with the number of sets of eyelets on the shoe. In the present instance six are used. These fasteners are of varying length so that the shoe. uppers will be held in proper relation to each other to conform to the contour of the foot. The fasteners are then placed in position by first inserting one of the male fastening members 13 into an eyelet and thereafter drawing the member across the shoe while stretching the spring 17 until the other male fastening member ls in register withthe corresponding eyelet upon the opposite flap of the upper. When this result has been attained, the fastener will conform to the contour of the shoe and hold the flaps of the upper yieldable relation to each other.

It will thus be seen that the device here disclosed, while simple in construction, will afford a permanent and desirable substitute for shoe laces and at the same time will be of such a simple and inexpensive construction as to have commercial value.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, various changes in the construction and arrangement of the severalparts herein shown and described may be resorted to without departing from, the spirit of my invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A fastener for lace shoes, comprising a body member arcuated in shape and greater in length than the distance from one eyelet of the shoe to a complementary eyelet, a pair of buttons slidably carried by said member, and means yieldably connecting said buttons with said body member.

2. A. fastener tor lace shoes comprising a rigid arcuate body member, a pair of buttons' slidably carried thereby, and means yieldably connecting said buttons with the body member.

3. A fastener for lace shoes comprising an arcuate, rigid body member of channel section, a pair of male fastening members slidable within said channel, a central pin fastened to the bod member, a spring secured intermediate its ends to the pin and by its opposite ends to the fastening members, whereby said fastening members may be yieldably' held in relation to each other when positioned within eyelets upon a shoe.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KINTARO MIYAKAWA.

Witnesses:

W. W. HEALEY, 'W. E. EWING. 

